WorldWide “OM Namo Narayanaya” Chanting
WorldWide:
Click and Listen:
WorldWide:
Click and Listen:
OM itself is the primordial Consciousness, it’s Lakshmi Narayana, it’s Shiva Shakti, it’s the Oneness, and because it’s Oneness, each tradition can have its own interpretation. In the Vedas it is explaned like this: A-Brahma (rajas), U – Vishnu (sattvas), M – Shiva (tamas). Silcence – Turya, the supreme Conciousness, beyond the Gunas. Keep in mind here that the Snaskrit OM sign is literally translated as AUM, however the pronunciation is OM.
In our Sri Sampradaya, which is our Vaishnava tradition, the OM in Om Namo Narayanaya means:
A – stands for Narayana, Maha Vishnu, because A is the first letter also in the Sanskrit alphabet, and as Jesus says that „I am the Alpha and the Omega, I am the first and the last“, so as A is first, Narayana is first, He is the first cause of everything.
U – means „only“ or it means Maha Lakshmi, because where Narayana is, Maha Lakshmi is also there.
M – stands for the Atma, because M is the 25th letter in the Sanskrit alphabet, and the 25th tattwa of creation (which means essence) is the Soul. And M comes from the Sanskrit word „Mah“, which means „mine“.
So OM itself means the Atma belongs only to God, only to Lakshmi Narayana. This is really nice, because that means that our soul doesn’t belong to our emotions, to our limited mind, to our body, to our desires, or to our karma, or to this world, but is ever free, it belongs only to God. We are not subserviant to our lower self, we only belog to God.
‘OM Namo Narayanaya’ means: ‘OM, I give everything to the One in whom all things dwell and who dwells in all things’.
The mantra itself is the Divine.
Repeating this mantra brings one closer to Narayana, who is the form of the formless consciousness, the Absolute Reality.
When our mind becomes immersed in the repetition of the mantra, the mantra will merge with our prana. Ultimately the mind will be dissolved into the Divine Consciousness.
• Purifes, calms and imbues the mind with positivity
• Helps dissolve our ego into Divine Love
• Burns Karma
• Strengthens the inner connection with the Divine at all times
• Helps attain Self-realisation
• Manifests Shravana Bhakti
Source: worldteachertrust.org, “OM Namo Narayanaya”, Dr.K.Parvathi Kumar, Edition Kulapati, Welmelskirchen, Germany 2014
Sri Ramanuja was the teacher who introduced this mantra to the masses of Kali Yuga. Until the arrival of Ramanuja, it was used only by persons who had been initiated into the mantra, and this initiation always took place from the mouth of the teacher to the ear of the disciple. It was secret and only for the chosen.
Ramanuja belongs to the ‘way of grace’. In the famous temple Srirangam he was initiated into the mantra by his teacher. Srirangam is a very large temple with huge land holdings extending on its four sides.
Its four entrances point east, west, south and north, and each entrance has a very high gate tower (Gopura). Since ancient times, the mantra has been recited in the temple by persons authentically initiated.
When Ramanuja was a young man, his inner attitude, devotion, and discipline found admiration for a teacher of the Vaishnava cult.
He pulled Ramanuja close and introduced him to the mantra by intoning it into his left ear. Then he instructed Ramanuja to keep singing the mantra and connect with it. He also told him to keep silence about this initiation. The teacher told Ramanuja that the mantra would allow him to free himself from the world and that liberated people could better serve the world. Ramanuja was so inspired by the mantra and his power that he could not hold it back. He quickly climbed up the Eastern Gate Tower (Gopura) in the Srirangam Temple and summoned the villagers in a loud voice. When the people saw the young man standing on top of the top of the temple, they came running in droves.
Ramanuja shouted to them, “The mercy of the Lord has come to me. I have been given the sound by which we can become free from the world. I want to share it with you all because I see in you my brothers and sisters, who are entangled in the world in many ways. Listen carefully to the mantra I sing and sing it as often as you can every day. This will help you to stay afloat in this worldly life. “And then Ramanuja gave them the eight-syllable mantra.
The people cheered. But the teacher who had initiated Ramanuja became very angry. He looked at Ramanuja and said, “Never has anyone committed such a crime as you did today. I feel like you hit me in the heart with a dagger. The pain I feel is to curse you for your most irresponsible act. ”
Ramanuja fell at the feet of his teacher and answered, “Master, I do not mind, even if I was condemned to the deepest hell. The joy of having given the masses of the people the key to liberation will eternally fulfill me and you no matter where we are. When we are at Narayana, it makes no difference where we are sent after this life. ”
The teacher was overwhelmed by this answer. He lifted Ramanuja by the shoulders, hugged him and said, “You are the one. You have come to save the simple, superstitious and ordinary people. You are a child of grace. May your path of grace generously ease the suffering of the ignorant and lift them into the kingdom of light.”
Of such dimensions was Ramanuja’s depth. He lived in southern India and was about 100 years old. Throughout his life he dedicated the popular masses to the Narayana mantra. As a result, his name is inextricably linked with the mantra, and this particular episode must not be left out when talking about Narayana. In accordance with ‘the plan’, twelve alwars (apostles / disciples) gathered around Ramanuja, who worked with the mantra and spread it. The stories of the twelve Alwars are outstanding examples of self-giving on the path of grace.
Sanskrit is the language of the Gods. Through Sanskrit, masters can create anything because in Sanskrit all word have the same vibration as the object itself. The master just speaks the words and, through the energy, that object gets created out of the ether. So the words here come from God. Especially, the Name of God has the same vibration as God, i.e. the Name of God IS God. God creates His own Name.
It’s the same as Nama or Namaha, and it depends where the word is in the sentence (just grammatically). For example, Om Namo Narayanaya and OM Narayana Namaha are both correct. The root is Namaha.
Na – not
mo – mine
“Namo” means also ‘I give my respect, my salutation’.
It means God, but if we break it down:
Nara means imperishable or eternal which is a quality of the Divine. Whatever is eternal is Divine and the other way around, whatever is Divine is eternal. Nara means also human, like Narasimha, which means Man-Lion.
Now, what is eternal in humans? It is the Soul, the Atma. So here, Nara stands for the Atma.
The difference between the Soul and God is not in quality, but in quantity. Nara is the drop and Narayana is the ocean.
Ayana means a few different things:
a) resting in place
b) the journey
c) the goal of the journey
Now we put it together, and:
1. The Atma rests inside God (all creation is inside God). This means that everything and everywhere at any time is God. Whatever you think of, big or small, God is already there, and even beyond it. Which means that God is present where other things are not present. That means that God is beyond creation, but creation is infinitive and is infinitely creating new creation, so God is infinitely beyond the infinite creation. And that’s God.
You might think that creation had an end. Once talking to Guruji, he said, “No, creation is infinitive and God is creating new creation. God is still beyond that because He is not bound by His creation.
This knowledge that God is beyond His creation is meant to invoke awe in us. Like looking at a mountain, you can’t conquer a mountain. That’s to remind us that we cannot control God, that we are so infinitely small.
2. He who rests in the Soul, He who rests in His creation. This is to show that God is smaller than the smallest, and bigger than the biggest. He is intimately part of His creation, He is in every thought, every part of the body, every person in front of you, in your breath, in your heart. God does not care about any duality, about good and bad, because God is both and beyond both.
God is beyond everything, you can’t limit Him at all. Some people say He is only Christ, He is only Krishna, He’s only Allah. Some say God is not this or that, but it doesn’t make sense, because you’re limiting Him. God is everything, and you can’t limit Him. Just OM Namo Narayanaya shows the grand paradox of God.
3. Ayana also means the goal: so the goal of the Soul is to become one with God, to attain God, to love God, but if you add Namo (not mine), the responsibility to attain the goal is not mine but His. The goal of the Soul is not my business. It’s His. How it will bem how it will look, that’s your business.The soul is only subsevient to God. It’s by His Grace that you’re on this path. Your duty, your dharmam, and the purpose of the soul, is to love God.
4. Ayana also means the way: the way to attain God, the Cosmic Love, is to Love.So the goal is God and the way is God, the goal is Love and the way is Love, but if we add in Namo, even the way is not may business. My spiritual development is not my business, it’s His business. My only business is to Love, right now, God. Everything else is his business.Like in the Main Kriya (of Atma Kriya Yoga by Mahavatar Babaji), it is not my business which karma is burned, my business is just to enjoy kriya.All of that is in three simple words: Om Namo Narayanaya.Out of his love for you, he (Guruji) won’t force anything in us. Because God loves us so much, He gives us free will. That’s one of the supreme signs of love it let the other person be free, even if they act against you, and Guruji shows that every day. How often people have gotten upset with him, but his love for us never changes. His Love is supreme.
To Love more. It is be more Divine, to be more free, and be more wise, but He will not force that on you.If you ever think God / Guruji is upset with you, do this: put your hands on your heart and feel your heartbeat, because woh is making the heart beat? It’s God, nobody else. He’s giving us the breath and making our heart beat.
Om Namo Narayanaya is a Maha Mantra; maha means great, it’s a great mantra. It means all the other mantras reside inside Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Namah Shivaya, the Gayatri Mantra, whatever other mantra you can think of, are inside Om Namo Narayanaya. Then the question arises: well, I heard the same about Om Nama Shivaya and the Gayatri Mantra and the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra; I heard they too are Maha Mantras, so it seems paradoxical. Which one do we chant?
Well, when you become ONE with the mantra you will see Oneness, but before that, there are certain qualities that the mantra manifests.
The first quality is, that it calms the judging mind. And when your mind is sincerly quiet, Cosmic Love will manifest by Itself. Om Namo Narayanaya also carries the mercy of the Lord. Maybe you can feel that it is more calm and merciful than other mantras. It calms the anger of Narasimhadev.
Mauritius Pilgrimage January 2018
I would like to share a very special story with you, which happened at our pilgrimage with Paramahamsa Vishwananda in Mauritius.
Before we could arrive, there was a cyclone over Mauritius with a lot of rain included.
We were visiting the Botanical garden and in it, there was an area with huge turtles. One of them was stucked in mud since the cyclone (1,5weeks). Because she was so heavy they didn’t try to get her out. We couldn’t believe that nobody was helping her and we were thinking what we could do.
Suddenly someone said: Lets chant “Om Namo Narayanaya“.
I admit I was skeptical and wanted to turn around.
But something inside me let me join the group and so we were chanting all together to the turtle. After approx.. 5 Minutes the turtle started to lift the head, further and further and suddenly she moved a leg. It was like she was getting ground under her feet’s and she was pushing and pushing and was moving.
First there was one leg out and we could see that she was struggling with the others. But we didn’t give up chanting and so she moved one leg after the other till she suddenly was out and was biting into the green grass at the side of the mood, which was waiting for her already since 1,5 weeks.
We all were so touch and I had tears in my eyes feeling so much grace and having the possibility to see this miracle happen.
Thank you Paramahamsa Vishwananda for letting me be part of this special moment.
…. Om Namo Narayanaya…